Relevant Weblogs Update

Note about newish DTM policy:

Ethan is the primary blogger here. (No surprise, right?) Dave and Reid will be sticking their head in once in a while. But unless otherwise specified, Ethan is writing, who has gotten tired of trying to refer to himself in third person without being awkward.

Check the left sidebar for a few new links.

Destination: OUT must be checked at least once a week. Remember, the Mp3s don’t stay up for that long. Get that ultra-rare “Mauve” with howling Sam Rivers and some extraordinary Richard Davis while you can. It’s a shame that Rivers and Davis didn’t have a working group together—they seem like a natural combination. Who should the drummer have been? H’mm. What about Paul Motian? Can you imagine how ridiculous that trio would have been, circa 1971?

David Adler is a well-known jazz critic who has a blog, Lerterland, which focuses more on politics but has good music stuff too. We cannot agree with Adler's dismissal of authentic heroes like Chomsky, Zinn, and Roy, but his assessments of problems in the Middle East have integrity and nuance. Adler’s review of Stanley Crouch’s recent book, Considering Genius, is fairly on point. I especially like this bit: “Crouch is right to insist that race remains an issue in contemporary arts criticism. White critics could stand to develop thicker skins and greater awareness on this score.” Amen! (For those curious about the many lives of the incendiary Crouch, the first 40-page essay of Considering Genius, "Jazz Me Blues," is recommended, as it's Crouch's "autobiography in jazz." I frankly love "Jazz Me Blues": it is just a blast to read.)

Speaking of race, check out this amusing post by Jay Smooth. J. S.’s blog is clearly a must for those interested in hip hop. (Darcy found Jay S. awhile back.)

Mwanji recently directed us to a blog by Brian Olewnick, who has interesting tastes and knows a lot about AMM. In the wake of all the ’73-’90 madness, I picked up Muhal Richard Abrams' Things To Come From Those Now Gone in Boston. I need to listen more, but so far concur with Mr. Olewnick’s assessment, although I would single out Ari Brown’s big-toned tenor on “In Retrospect” as the highlight of the disc. (Never heard of Brown before.)

Welcome, David Ryshpan, to the blog roll. You should have been added earlier. That’s a nice post about visiting NYC.

Our darling of the moment is Lovemoss. That’s a link to her blog, but don’t miss the rest.